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Meet
FAS
Linda Dallos
Undergraduate: Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester,
N.Y., major in graphic design and computer graphics
Current Job: A program specialist in the FAS Forest and Fishery
Products Division (FFPD)
The last thing most prospective employees want
during an interview is to be surprised. But for Linda Dallos, a
Program Specialist with the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Forest
and Fishery Products Division (FFPD), the unexpected was welcome.
"The person interviewing me, Veronica Priddy,
had already requested an interpreter—I didn’t have to ask for one," Dallos said. "It was the first time I had an interpreter during an
interview—that was a big plus."
Dallos said she also noticed right from the
start that Priddy, the International Cooperation and Development (ICD)
resources team leader, had a commitment to workforce diversity.
Dallos then got the all-important call asking
her to come to work for FAS.
As a graphic design expert, Dallos’ new position
with FAS’ ICD area presented a chance for change. She would move from
coordinating images on computer screens to coordinating travel
itineraries and preparing training courses for people all over the
world.
"I handled a wide variety of jobs, such as
international travel preparation, travel vouchers, and writing
training contracts between universities and FAS," said Dallos.
Dallos also had to arrange for site trips and
health insurance for the program participants. She found it was easy
getting the tools she needed.
"For staff meetings I requested a sign language
interpreter. I also relied on e-mail, fax, and a Telecommunications
Device for the Deaf (TDD; a typing-based telephone system)," Dallos
said. "When I requested a strobe light phone to alert me that a phone
is awaiting my answer, I got it immediately. Later on, I got the
NexTalk program installed on my computer."
Dallos said she enjoyed meeting ICD
international clientele. From African and Turkish delegations she
learned about the situations for deaf and hearing-impaired people
overseas.
"I would love to visit third-world countries and
educate them about what deaf or hard-of-hearing people can do," she
said. "In many countries, they are really pushed aside."
Making a Big Transition
Dallos wanted to explore other challenges and
opportunities with FAS, so she applied for a job with the agency’s
Dairy, Livestock and Poultry Division (DLP) through FAS’ Career
Enhancement Program, or CEP. To reach her goal of becoming an FAS
Program Specialist through CEP, she competed with other applicants.
"In order to complete the CEP requirements, I
was to take the classes and training within 6 months," Dallos said. "I
took marketing and statistics courses at the USDA Graduate School and
a lot of in-house training. I also attended conferences and
workshops."
Dallos’ supervisor and colleagues were her
mentors. They helped her understand FAS’ various marketing programs.
She also put her computer design skills to work setting up the
division’s Web site.
After 2 years with DLP, she got a job in FAS’
Forest and Fishery Products Division (FFPD) as a Program Specialist,
where she is employed today.
"I wear three hats. I work with the marketing
specialists, the economists, Deputy Directors of Marketing and
Analysis, and the FFPD Director on special projects," Dallos said. "I
work on publications on market trends and on giving FFPD’s Web site a
fresh new look."
It sounds strange, Dallos said, but people rely
on her so much in her division that sometimes people forget she can’t
hear. At first, she sometimes had to remind people to tell her about
meetings in advance so she could arrange for a sign language
interpreter.
"Now they are aware of it, and they usually check
with me so I have time to make arrangements," she said.
Dallos has also been a mediator, helping others
in USDA learn to work more effectively with deaf and hearing-impaired
employees. When a potential employer has questions about a position
requiring a lot of phone work such as booking reservations, taking
messages, and assisting customers, Dallos can use her own experience
to show that a deaf person can do the job, if they have the tools they
need.
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